Magazine hoarders, collectors, or anyone planning to clean out their attic in the near future, it's time to rejoice! Your dusty old stockpile of glossy magazines could earn you a pretty penny. And considering how digital our world has become, it may surprise you to learn just how valuable a good 'ole print publication is worth these days.
A quick skim through vintage copies of Life magazine and Vogue will tell you a lot about the trends and big moments of past decades, which is why vintage issues are selling for a lot of money on eBay right now, according to Fashionista. Copies that originally sold for a dollar or less can be worth $20, $30, and even $50 (!) to a buyer interested in retro fashion and culture.
In fact, eBay seller and paper collectibles expert Matt Oran earns a living selling these vintage issues. He and his father first started selling periodicals after a friend sold them 30,000 copies of Life magazine. "I went on eBay, and see just a random Life magazine that we're selling for a dollar—or 50 cents even—and it's going for 20, 30 bucks," he told Fashionista. "Like every other person, I had magazine subscriptions, but never thought that this could be a business until I realized we have 30,000 of something that might be worth 20, 30 dollars each. And based on what he paid for it, it's actually a tremendous markup."
While all kinds of old magazines can be sold for a profit, fashion magazines see some of the highest returns, since fashion editors and designers often use the old copies to get inspired. "[My friend] told me that the fashion world, every 20 or 30 so years, they recycle a lot of the looks, and the main way they were able to do this is going back to a Vogue from the '90s, and [see] what was hot then," Matt explained.
The same goes for set designers, historical societies, interior designers, and museums who hunt for old copies to study. Matt sells nearly every kind of magazine in his store, including Seventeen, Woman's Day, Time, McCall's, adding that The New Yorker, Billboard, and Vogue are some of the best-selling titles.
If you're wondering how much you can earn selling your back issues, you should know that it can range. Copies with popular celebrities on the cover, thick and lengthy issues, or famous editions are worth more money—and the older the issue is, the more value it holds. Who knows, what's on your bookshelf could pay for your next vacation! Check out what kinds of vintage magazines are selling right now on eBay.
(h/t Refinery29)
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Jessica Leigh Mattern is a web editor and writer who covers home, holiday, DIY, crafts, travel, and more lifestyle topics. Prior to working for Country Living, she wrote for several lifestyle and women’s magazines including Woman’s Day, Cosmopolitan, and Redbook
